Power supply facility for electric vehicles, electric vehicle, and power supply method for electric vehicles

Abstract

A power supply facility includes a wireless communication unit capable of wirelessly communicating with a plurality of electric vehicles traveling in line, a plurality of power supply coils installed at a predetermined interval, and an inter-vehicle calculation unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of information including power supply coil interval information indicating a distance of the predetermined interval, information on an entire length of a vehicle body of each of the plurality of electric vehicles, and information on a position of a power reception coil installed in each of the vehicle bodies, and calculate an inter-vehicle distance for leading each of the plurality of electric vehicles to be parked in accordance with the acquired plurality of pieces of information so as to align the plurality of power supply coils with the power reception coils to face each other.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A power supply facility for electric vehicles, the facility comprising:
 a wireless communication unit capable of wirelessly communicating with a plurality of electric vehicles traveling in line; 
 a plurality of power supply coils installed at a predetermined interval so as to enable the plurality of electric vehicles to be parked in line from a front vehicle to an end vehicle and simultaneously supplied with electric power; 
 a memory that stores instructions and a predetermined rule, and 
 a processor that executes the instructions stored in the memory to:
 acquire, by an inter-vehicle calculation unit, a plurality of pieces of information including power supply coil interval information indicating a distance of the predetermined interval, information on an entire length of a vehicle body of each of the plurality of electric vehicles, and information on a position of a power reception coil installed in each of the vehicle bodies, and 
 calculate, by the inter-vehicle calculation unit, an inter-vehicle distance for leading each of the plurality of electric vehicles to be parked in accordance with the acquired plurality of pieces of information so as to align the plurality of power supply coils with the power reception coils to face each other. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The power supply facility for electric vehicles according to  claim 1 , wherein the inter-vehicle calculation unit is provided in any of the plurality of electric vehicles, or is provided in a device capable of communicating with a power supply circuit unit including one of the plurality of power supply coils and with the plurality of electric vehicles. 
     
     
       3. An electric vehicle capable of traveling in line together with at least one following electric vehicle traveling contiguously behind the electric vehicle, the electric vehicle comprising:
 a memory that stores instructions and a predetermined rule; 
 a processor that executes the instructions stored in the memory to:
 acquire, by an inter-vehicle calculation unit, a plurality of pieces of information including power supply coil interval information indicating a distance between a plurality of power supply coils installed at a predetermined interval so as to enable a plurality of electric vehicles parked contiguously in line from a front vehicle to an end vehicle to be simultaneously supplied with electric power, information on an entire length of a vehicle body of each of the electric vehicle and the at least one following electric vehicle, and information on a position of a power reception coil installed in each of the vehicle bodies, and 
 calculate, by the inter-vehicle calculation unit, an inter-vehicle distance for leading the electric vehicle and the at least one following electric vehicle to be parked in accordance with the acquired plurality of pieces of information so as to align the plurality of power supply coils with the power reception coils to face each other; and 
 
 a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly send the calculated inter-vehicle distance to the at least one following electric vehicle. 
 
     
     
       4. An electric vehicle capable of following a leading vehicle traveling at a forefront of vehicles traveling in line, the electric vehicle comprising:
 a memory that stores instructions and a predetermined rule; and 
 a processor that executes the instructions stored in the memory to:
 acquire, by an inter-vehicle calculation unit, a plurality of pieces of information including power supply coil interval information indicating a distance between a plurality of power supply coils installed at a predetermined interval so as to enable a plurality of electric vehicles parked contiguously in line from a front vehicle to an end vehicle to be simultaneously supplied with electric power, information on an entire length of a vehicle body of each of the electric vehicle and another electric vehicle traveling in front of the electric vehicle, and information on a position of a power reception coil installed in each of the vehicle bodies, 
 calculate, by the inter-vehicle calculation unit, an inter-vehicle distance for leading the electric vehicle and the other electric vehicle traveling in line together with the electric vehicle to be parked in accordance with the acquired plurality of pieces of information so as to align the plurality of power supply coils with the power reception coils to face each other, and 
 adjust, by a driving control unit, the inter-vehicle distance to the other electric vehicle by autonomous traveling in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance calculated by the inter-vehicle calculation unit. 
 
 
     
     
       5. A power supply method for electric vehicles, the method comprising:
 causing an inter-vehicle calculation unit connected through wireless communication to a plurality of electric vehicles traveling in line to acquire a plurality of pieces of information including power supply coil interval information indicating a distance between a plurality of power supply coils installed at a predetermined interval so as to enable the plurality of electric vehicles to be parked in line from a front vehicle to an end vehicle and simultaneously supplied with electric power, information on an entire length of a vehicle body of each of the plurality of electric vehicles, and information on a position of a power reception coil installed in each of the vehicle bodies, and calculate an inter-vehicle distance for leading each of the plurality of electric vehicles to be parked in accordance with the acquired plurality of pieces of information so as to align the plurality of power supply coils with the power reception coils to face each other; 
 causing a following vehicle, among the plurality of electric vehicles, autonomously traveling and following a leading vehicle to adjust the inter-vehicle distance to an electric vehicle traveling contiguously in front thereof in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance calculated by the inter-vehicle calculation unit; and 
 causing each of the plurality of power supply coils to start supplying electric power to each of the plurality of electric vehicles when the power reception coils and the plurality of power supply coils are aligned to face each other after the leading vehicle among the plurality of electric vehicles is parked so that a first power reception coil of the leading vehicle is aligned with a front power supply coil of the plurality of power supply coils to face each other.